Atmospheric water generating apparatus and system for producing water from moisture-laden air

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and system for producing fresh water from moisture-laden air. The apparatus has a frame supporting a plurality of condensation panels that each have a panel body defining a pair of condensation surfaces that will contact the moisture-laden air. A panel support mechanism supports each of the condensation panels in spaced apart relation to each other so each condensation surface contacts moisture-laden air. A flow channel inside the panel body defines a flow path for a cooling fluid that cools the condensation surfaces so the moisture-laden air will produce condensate thereon that collects as fresh water. The system includes a plurality of apparatuses, a chilling mechanism to cool the cooled fluid, inlet and discharge lines connecting the chilling mechanism and apparatuses, pumps to pressurize the cooled fluid, fans to move the moisture-laden air and water collecting surfaces to collect the fresh water.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 62/946,937 filed Dec. 11, 2019.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGAPPENDIX SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A. Field of the Invention

The field of the present invention relates generally to apparatuses andsystems for the collection, production and generation of water. Inparticular, the present invention relates to apparatuses and systems forgenerating liquid water from the atmosphere. Even more particularly, thepresent invention relates to apparatuses and systems that utilizecondensation modules which capture and condense water vapor inmoisture-laden air to produce fresh water therefrom.

B. Background

As is well known, water is a precious resource that is necessary forlife on our planet. Water is available to humans through thehydrological cycle and is most commonly withdrawn from lakes, rivers andunderground reservoirs for use in homes, farms, businesses and variousother personal and industrial uses. Despite the fact that the majorityof the Earth's surface is covered by water, it is generally well knownthat clean fresh water is or may be a relatively scarce resource in manyareas of the world. People who live in geographic areas that are near orotherwise have regular and adequate access to clean, fresh water fromrivers, lakes and wells are fortunate in that these areas, at leastpresently, may not have issues with regard to having sufficient freshwater to meet the personal, business, industrial and/or agriculturalneeds of the area at a certain level of use. Unfortunately, many peoplelive in areas that do not have such access, or at least easy access. toclean fresh water. Even people who live in areas that presently haveaccess to clean fresh water via the traditional sources of fresh waterhave legitimate concerns that they should not take such availability forgranted. Due to the potential for drought conditions, whether in theshort term or potential long term due to climate change, many peoplelive, work and produce crops or materials in areas where the futuresupply of fresh water cannot be guaranteed. In particular, contaminationof fresh water sources due to human activities (including wastedisposal, by-products of manufacturing and other human populationpressures), climate change events that may reduce snow, melt glaciers orotherwise eliminate some presently relied upon sources of water and/orpolitical disputes over the control of fresh water sources are everpresent concerns with regard to the availability of fresh water. Inaddition, most areas of the world have the opportunity to beneficiallyutilize more fresh water if that water was made available for people,agriculture and industrial uses.

Individuals use fresh water for drinking, cleaning, cooking, bathing andother personal uses, for their pets and other animals and to waterlawns, plants, trees and the like. Cities, states and othermunicipalities provide the fresh water to their residents and to othercustomers, as well as for their own uses, through water supply systems,comprising treatment plants, pipes and the like, that connect one ormore of the traditional sources of water to the homes, parks and otherlocations where the fresh water is needed. The agricultural industryutilizes freshwater to grow crops that are consumed by animals andpeople, to provide water to animals and to grow trees and other plantsfor use for a wide variety of purposes, including lumber, clothing andthe like. Industrial uses of fresh water, including water used bybusinesses at their offices, stores, restaurants and the like or bymines to mine minerals and energy, are used to produce products, foodand other items that are used by people, businesses, governments and themilitary.

Unfortunately, the amount of available water is generally consideredinsufficient for all of the uses for which water is desired. As such, inthe past there was a constant need to obtain additional water supply bybuilding infrastructure such as dams, canals and the like to increasethe storage of water and to move that water to make it available for theuses for which water is currently utilized, including various personal,agricultural and industrial uses. Over time, most easily identifiableand relatively cost effective locations for building dams and impoundingwater have been utilized and the building of new dams is unlikely due tothe cost and, recently understood, environmental impacts of such dams.Other than taking water from rivers and lakes, including those createdby building dams, another traditional method of obtaining fresh watercomprises digging or drilling wells into underground sources of freshwater. Unfortunately, this method of generating a supply of fresh wateris becoming much more difficult and, therefore, costly and is often lesslikely to produce sufficient amounts of cost effective clean fresh waterdue to the need to dig or drill deeper to find desirable fresh wateraquifers. In fact, the rapid depletion of groundwater reserves is amajor concern for many areas, particularly agricultural areas. Inaddition, the cost of electricity or fuel to operate the pumps to pumpwater from the underground aquifers is often very expensive.

A relatively recent method of generating fresh water is the desalinationof water from the ocean or other high salt concentration water supplies,including some surface and groundwater supplies. In addition togenerally only being useful for areas that are adjacent an ocean or nearanother source of salt water, due to the expense of transferring wateraway from such sources, desalination of sea water to generate freshwater generally requires facilities that are very expensive to build andrequire significant amounts of electricity and/or other energy sourcesto operate. Because of the complex technology and high costs,desalination does not presently produce any significant quantities offresh water. Yet another method of generating fresh water involves thereclamation of waste water into fresh water. As with desalination,reclamation of waste water generally requires complex systems that arerelatively expensive to build and operate and, as such, in most areasthese systems do not produce significant quantities of fresh water.

A source of fresh water that has not been commonly or very frequentlyaccessed to generate fresh water for human uses is the atmosphere.Although the Earth's atmosphere contains a relatively significant amountof water, in the form of water vapor that is measured in humidity,apparatuses and systems for generating fresh water from the atmosphereare not very common. Most such apparatuses and systems utilize one ormore condensing methods to produce liquid water from the water vapor.Unfortunately, the presently available apparatuses and systems aregenerally not able to efficiently and effectively produce sufficientfresh water so as to be very useable, particularly on any large orindustrial scale. One problem with many atmospheric water generatingapparatuses and systems is that they require excessive amounts ofelectricity or other energy sources to operate the various components ofthe apparatus and/or system. Another problem with many of theseapparatuses and systems is that they are not very efficient at removingwater vapor from the atmosphere and, as such, do not produce asufficient amount of fresh water for that water to be widely utilized.

What is needed, therefore, is an improved apparatus and system forgenerating fresh water from atmospheric air. The improved apparatus andsystem should be structured and arranged to effectively and efficientlyremove water vapor from the atmosphere to produce fresh water that canbe utilized for a wide variety of uses. More specifically, an improvedapparatus and system for generating fresh water from atmospheric airshould be configured so as to effectively and efficiently separate watervapor from atmosphere air in order to generate fresh water that can bebeneficially utilized for a variety of human-related activities,including personal, agricultural and industrial uses. In preferredconfigurations, an improved apparatus and system for producing waterfrom the atmosphere should be adaptable to being able to produce largequantities of fresh water. In one configuration, an improved apparatusand system for generating fresh water from atmospheric air should bestructured and arranged, at least in a preferred configuration, to notrequire any external sources of electricity or electrical systems tooperate, which can reduce the cost of producing the water and allow thesystem to operate to produce fresh water in case of an electrical gridfailure or other system-wide loss of electricity. In the preferredconfigurations, the new apparatus and system should be configured to beeasy to operate and relatively inexpensive to build.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure of thepresent invention in order to provide a basic understanding of theinvention to the reader. As such, this Summary is not an extensiveoverview of the disclosure and it may not identify key/critical elementsof the invention or delineate the scope of the invention. The solepurpose of this Summary is to present some concepts disclosed herein ina simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that ispresented below.

The use of terms such as “including”, “comprising” or “having” andvariations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof. The terms “a” and “an” herein do notdenote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of atleast one of the referenced item. Further, the use of terms “first”,“second”, and “third”, and the like, herein do not denote any order,quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one elementor feature of an element from another. The term “and/or,” when usedherein with a list of two or more items, means that any one of thelisted items can be employed by itself, or any combination of two ormore of the listed items can be employed.

The new apparatus and system of the present invention provides thevarious benefits and solves the problems that are identified above. Thatis to say, the present invention is directed to a new and improvedsystem for producing fresh water from moisture-laden air, such theatmosphere. More specifically, the new atmospheric water generatingapparatus and system of the present invention is beneficially structuredand arranged to economically, efficiently and effectively condense watervapor in moisture-laden air to produce fresh water from such air thatcan be utilized for a wide variety of fresh water uses, including forpersonal, agricultural and industrial purposes. In a preferredconfiguration of the present invention, the new apparatus and system forproducing water from moisture-laden air is able to produce largequantities of fresh water. In one configuration, the apparatus andsystem for generating fresh water from moisture-laden air of the presentinvention utilizes on-site production of power, such as electricity fromsolar panels, so as to not require any external source of electricity orelectrical systems to operate. The on-site production of electricity tooperate the system reduces the cost of producing the fresh water andallows the system to operate to produce fresh water in situations wherethere is an electrical grid failure or other system-wide loss ofelectricity. In the preferred configurations, the new apparatus andsystem are easy to operate and relatively inexpensive to build.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the new atmospheric watergenerating apparatus for producing fresh water from moisture-laden airgenerally comprises a frame having a plurality of frame members thatdefine an upper end and a lower end of the apparatus, a condensationpanel having a panel body which is supported by the frame, at least onecondensation surface that is associated with the condensation panel anda flow channel disposed in the panel body of the condensation panel soas to define a flow path through the panel body between an inlet and anoutlet of the condensation panel. The panel body of the condensationpanel has an upper end and a lower end. The condensation surface of thecondensation panel is structured and arranged with a surface area thatwill contact the moisture-laden air when the condensation panel isexposed to the moisture-laden air. The inlet is connected to a source ofcooled fluid, with the flow channel being sized and configured to allowa cooled fluid from the source of cooled fluid to flow through the flowchannel from the inlet to the outlet of the condensation panel.Preferably, the outlet is also connected to the source of cooled fluidto direct the cooled fluid thereto to provide a closed-loop coolingsystem. The flow path through the condensation panel is selected so thecooled fluid will cool the condensation surface of the condensationpanel when the cooled fluid is flowing through the flow channel in amanner which produces condensate on the condensation surface when thecondensation surface is in contact with the moisture-laden air. Thecondensation panel is configured for the condensate to flow downward tothe lower end of the condensation panel and toward the lower end of theapparatus to collect as the fresh water on a water collecting surfacethat is associated with the apparatus. In a preferred configuration, theframe supports a plurality of condensation panels, with each of theplurality of condensation panels having a pair of opposite facingcondensation surfaces that are in spaced apart relation to thecondensation surfaces of any adjacent condensation panel or othersurface so as to define an air gap therebetween to improve contactbetween the various condensation surfaces and the moisture-laden air.

The new apparatus has a panel support mechanism that is associated withthe frame, with the panel support mechanism being structured andarranged to support each of the plurality of condensation panels in oron the frame. The panel support mechanisms can comprises one or morepanel support members that are structured and arranged to position eachof the condensation panels in the frame in corresponding relation to theframe with the upper end of each of the condensation panels directedtoward the upper end of the apparatus and the lower end of each of thecondensation panels directed toward the lower end of the apparatus. Inone embodiment, each of the one or more panel support members comprise asupport post that is connected to the frame, with the support post beingcooperatively sized and configured with a support aperture in the panelbody of the condensation panel so as to allow the support post to passthrough the support aperture and support the condensation panel in theframe. In one configuration of this embodiment, the support aperture ispositioned in a support tab that is attached to or integral with theupper end of the panel body so as to suspend the panel body downwardfrom the support post in a hanging type arrangement.

In certain preferred embodiments, the condensation surface or surfacesof the condensation panel have a shaped surface that is configured toincrease the surface area of the condensation surface so as to increasethe condensate on the condensation surface and the amount of fresh waterthat is produced by the condensation panels. In one configuration, theshaped surface comprises a plurality of outwardly extending membersand/or a plurality of concave areas, with each of the outwardlyextending members and/or concave areas being sized and configured toincrease the surface area of the condensation surface.

In one configuration, the fresh water produced by the condensationpanels interacting with the moisture-laden air drains onto the floor ofa building or other structure in which one or more apparatuses arehoused. Alternatively, the apparatus can comprise a channel member whichis attached to, integrally formed or otherwise associated with the frameand the water collecting surface, which may also be associated with theframe, is configured to direct the fresh water from the condensationpanels to the channel member. The fresh water from the floor, channelmember or other water collecting surface can be directed to a collectionarea that delivers the fresh water to a pipeline, canal, pond, reservoiror the like or directly to a field, orchard, business, home or minewhere it will be utilized.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the atmospheric watergenerating system generally comprises a plurality of the above-describedwater generating apparatuses, moisture-laden air having water vaporassociated therewith, a source of cooled fluid that produces a cooledfluid, one or more pumps interconnecting the source of cooled fluid andeach of the apparatuses, one or more fans that are configured to directthe moisture-laden air to and around each of the apparatuses and todirect dried air away from each of the apparatuses, a source of powerconnected to at least one of the source of cooled fluid, the one or morepumps and the one or more fans, a water collecting surface associatedwith each of the apparatuses to collect the fresh water produced by theapparatuses, and at least one collection area to collect the fresh waterand direct the fresh water to a pipeline, canal, pond, reservoir or thelike or directly to a field, orchard, business, home or mine where itwill be utilized. As set forth above, each of the apparatuses have aframe with a plurality of frame members that define an upper end and alower end of the apparatus, at least one panel support mechanismassociated with the frame and a plurality of condensation panels thatare supported by the panel support mechanism on or in the frame. Each ofthe condensation panels have a panel body, a condensation surfaceassociated with each of a first side and a second side of the panelbody, a surface area associated with each of the condensation surfacesthat will contact the moisture-laden air when the condensation panelsare exposed to the moisture-laden air, and a flow channel in the panelbody of each of the condensation panels that defines a flow path throughthe panel body between an inlet and an outlet of the condensation panel.

The inlet of each of the condensation panels of each apparatus isconnected to the source of cooled fluid so as to receive the cooledfluid in the flow channels of the condensation panels. The outlet ofeach of the condensation panels is, preferably, connected to the sourceof cooled fluid to direct the cooled fluid thereto so as to define aclosed-loop cooling system. The pumps are utilized to pressurize thecooled fluid and direct the cooled fluid to and through the flowchannels of the condensation panels from the inlet to the outlet thereofand to pull the cooled fluid back to the source of cooled fluid forre-cooling. The collection area is in fluid flow connection with thewater collecting surface so as to receive the fresh water from the watercollecting surface. The flow path through each of the condensationpanels is selected so the cooled fluid from the source of cooled fluidwill cool each of the condensation surfaces of the condensation panelswhen the cooled fluid is flowing through the flow channels thereof so asto produce condensate on each of the condensation surfaces of each ofthe condensation panels when each of the condensation surfaces are incontact with moisture-laden air. Preferably, each of the condensationpanels are configured for the condensate to flow downward to a lower endof the condensation panels and toward the lower end of each of theapparatuses to collect as fresh water on the water collecting surface.The panel support mechanism of each of the apparatuses comprises aplurality of panel support members. In one configuration, each of theplurality of panel support members are structured and arranged toposition each condensation panel in the frame in corresponding relationto the frame with an upper end of each of the condensation panelsdirected toward the upper end of the apparatus and the lower end of eachof the condensation panels directed toward the lower end of theapparatus. In one embodiment, each of the one or more panel supportmembers comprise a support post that is connected to the frame, with thesupport post being cooperatively sized and configured with a supportaperture in the panel body of the condensation panel so as to allow thesupport post to pass through the support aperture and support thecondensation panel in the frame. In a possible preferred embodiment, thecondensation surfaces of each of the condensation panels have a shapedsurface, with the shaped surfaces being configured to increase thesurface area of the condensation surfaces to increase the condensate onthe condensation surface and the fresh water produced thereby. Theapparatuses can be located in a building having a floor that functionsas the water collecting surface. The source of cooled fluid can compriseone or more chilling mechanisms, which may also be located inside thebuilding or other structure.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide anew apparatus and system for producing fresh water from the atmosphereand/or other moisture-laden air that has the advantages set forth aboveand which overcomes the various disadvantages and limitations which areassociated with presently available methods, apparatuses and systems forproducing fresh water from moisture-laden air.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a newapparatus and system that is structured and arranged to produce freshwater from water vapor in moisture-laden air, including atmospheric air,in a manner which is able to produce relatively large quantities offresh water therefrom for use of the fresh water for a wide variety ofpersonal, agricultural and industrial uses.

It is also an important object of the present invention to provide a newapparatus and system that is structured and arranged to produce freshwater from moisture in the atmospheric air in a manner which is costeffective.

An important aspect of the present invention is that it provides a newatmospheric water generating apparatus and system which accomplishes theobjectives set forth above and elsewhere in the present disclosure.

Another important aspect of the present invention is that it provides anew apparatus and system for producing fresh water from moisture-ladenair which is structured and arranged to economically, efficiently andeffectively condense water vapor that is present in the atmosphere orother moisture-laden air as condensate on one or more condensationsurface so as to produce fresh water which can be utilized for a widevariety of fresh water uses, including for personal, agricultural andindustrial purposes.

Another important aspect of the present invention is that it provides anatmospheric water generating apparatus and system for producing freshwater from the atmosphere and/or other moisture-laden air that can bestructured and arranged so as to be able to produce large quantities offresh water.

Another important aspect of the present invention is that it provides anatmospheric water generating apparatus and system for producing waterfrom moisture-laden air that can be structured and arranged, in one ormore preferred configurations, for the on-site production of power, suchas electricity from solar panels, so as to not require any externalsource of electricity or electrical systems to operate, which willreduce the cost of producing the fresh water and allow the system toproduce fresh water in situations where there is an electrical gridfailure or other system-wide loss of electricity.

Another important aspect of the present invention is that it provides animproved atmospheric water generating apparatus for producing freshwater from the atmosphere and/or other moisture-laden air whichcomprises a frame that supports a plurality interconnected spaced apartcondensation panels which are each configured to allow a cooling fluidto pass through a flow channel inside the panel body along a flow pathin order to cool condensation surfaces each of the condensation panelsso as to condense water vapor which is removed from the moisture-ladenair as condensate on the outer condensation surfaces of the panels thatwill drip or flow downward to produce fresh water.

Another important aspect of the present invention is that it provides animproved atmospheric water generating system for producing fresh waterfrom the atmosphere and/or other moisture-laden air which comprises aplurality of specially configured atmospheric water generatingapparatuses that each have a plurality of interconnected spaced apartcondensation panels through which a cooling fluid is passed to condensewater vapor in the moisture-laden air on the outer surfaces of thepanels and then drain the fresh water to a water collection basin forfurther distribution to any of a wide variety of fresh water uses.

Yet another important aspect of the present invention is that itprovides a new atmospheric water generating apparatus and system forproducing fresh water from moisture-laden air which, in the preferredconfigurations, is easy to operate and relatively inexpensive to build.

As will be explained in greater detail by reference to the attachedfigures and the description of the preferred embodiments which follow,the above and other objects and aspects are accomplished or provided bythe present invention. As set forth herein and will be readilyappreciated by persons who are skilled in the art, the present inventionresides in the novel features of form, construction, mode of operationand combination of processes presently described and understood by theclaims. The description of the invention which follows is presented forpurposes of illustrating one or more of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention and is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting ofthe invention. The scope of the invention is only limited by the claimswhich follow after the discussion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiments and the bestmodes presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an atmospheric water generatingapparatus that is configured according to an embodiment of the presentinvention wherein a frame supports four rows of condensation panels,with each row having ten condensation panels, on the floor which is usedfor drainage;

FIG. 2 is a front view of one row of condensation panels, support postsand cooling fluid piping of the apparatus of FIG. 1 to better show thevarious aspects thereof;

FIG. 3 is a front view of one condensation panel of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a back view of the condensation panel of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the condensation panel of FIG. 3 showingthe second condensation surface thereof and illustrating the internalflow channel and cooling fluid flow path which allows cooling fluid topass through the interior of the condensation panel to cool thecondensation surfaces thereof;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of a first alternative configurationfor the condensation panels of the atmospheric water generatingapparatus of FIG. 1 showing a shaped surface having a plurality ofoutwardly extending members;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the condensation panel of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side perspective view of a second alternative configurationfor the condensation panels of the atmospheric water generatingapparatus of FIG. 1 showing a shaped surface having a plurality ofconcave areas;

FIG. 9 is a front view of the condensation panel of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a third alternative configuration for thecondensation panels of the atmospheric water generating apparatus ofFIG. 1 showing a shaped surface having a plurality of cone-shapedoutwardly extending members;

FIG. 11 is a side view of a pair of atmospheric water generatingapparatuses joined together to form a double rack of condensationpanels;

FIG. 12 is a top view of a floor plan of a building utilized for anatmospheric water generating system of the present invention showing useof a plurality of the new atmospheric water generating apparatuses and aplurality of chillers and electrical panel for such chillers for usewith such apparatuses, with the floor being utilized for drainage to aplurality of drainage channels;

FIG. 13 is a side view a three connected apparatuses showing use of anattached or integrally formed drainage system comprising a plurality ofchannel members; and

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a preferred configuration for anatmospheric water generating system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the figures where like elements have been given likenumerical designations to facilitate the reader's understanding of thepresent invention, the preferred embodiments of the present inventionare set forth below. The enclosed figures are illustrative of severalpotential preferred embodiments and, therefore, are included torepresent several different ways of configuring the present invention.Although specific components, materials, configurations and uses areillustrated, it should be understood that a number of variations to thecomponents and to the configuration of those components described hereinand shown in the accompanying figures can be made without changing thescope and function of the invention set forth herein. For instance,although the description and figures included herewith generallydescribe and show particular materials, shapes and configurations forthe various components of the apparatus of the present invention, aswell as example configurations for condensation panels that may beutilized with the new apparatus, cooling fluids to cool one or moresurfaces of the condensation panels and a frame that is configured tosupport a plurality of such condensation panels, persons who are skilledin the relevant art will readily appreciate that the present inventionis not so limited. In addition, the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention are shown and described herein with only those components thatare required to disclose the present invention. As such, it may bepossible that some of the necessary elements for attaching and using thepresent invention are not shown or necessarily described below, butwhich are well known to persons who are skilled in the relevant art. Aswill be readily appreciated by such persons, the various elements of thepresent invention that are described below may take on any form which isconsistent with forms that may be understood by a person of ordinaryskill in the art having knowledge of apparatuses utilized to condensatewater from the atmosphere and fluids which may be utilized with suchapparatuses to cool one or more surfaces of the apparatus.

An atmospheric water generating apparatus that is configured pursuant toone or more of the preferred embodiments of the present invention isreferred to generally as 10 in FIGS. 1 and 11-14. An atmospheric watergenerating system that is configured pursuant to one or more preferredembodiments of the present invention, which utilizes the new atmosphericwater generating apparatus 10, is referred to generally as 12 in FIGS.12-14. As set forth in more detail below and best shown in FIGS. 1-2 and11-14, the new atmospheric water generating apparatus (hereinafterreferred to as the “apparatus 10”) of the atmospheric water generatingsystem (hereinafter referred to as the “system” 12) is structured andarranged to receive moisture-laden air 14 onto the apparatus 10 so thatwater vapor 16 from the moisture-laden air 14 will condense ascondensate 17 on at least one, preferably a plurality of, condensationpanels 18 which are supported by a frame 20 so that the produced freshwater 22 will collect on a water collecting surface 24 and be directedto a collection area 26 for distribution for use for various personal,agricultural, business and industrial uses, as set forth in theBackground. As also set forth in more detail below, each of thecondensation panels 18 have one or more condensation surfaces, such asthose shown as first condensation surface 28 and second condensationsurface 30 in FIGS. 3-11. Inside apparatus 10, the moisture-laden air 14contacts the cooled condensation panels 18 such that the water vapor 16therefrom will collect on the condensation surfaces 28/30 and draingenerally downward along those surfaces 28/30 to collect on the watercollecting surface 24 that directs the produced fresh water 22 to thecollection area 26. In one embodiment, a plurality of apparatuses 10 arelocated inside a building or other structure 32 having a floor 34 thatis utilized as the water collecting surface 24 that directs the producedwater 22 to one or more channels 36 that serve as the water collectionarea 26, as best shown in FIG. 12. Dried air 38, which for purposes ofthe present invention is moisture-laden air 14 that has had much of themoisture removed therefrom as water vapor 16 by the condensation panels18 of apparatus 10, exits the apparatus 10 at or near the upper end 40thereof, as best shown in FIGS. 11 and 13-14, by rising away from theapparatus 10. As also shown in FIGS. in these figures, the producedfresh water 22 will typically flow from the apparatus 10, due togravity, at or near the lower end 42 thereof, which may be supported onor above the floor 34 of the structure 32. As further set forth below,the new apparatus 10 and system 12 for producing fresh water 22 isspecifically structured and arranged to effectively and efficientlygenerate clean produced fresh water 22 from the readily availablemoisture-laden air 14 in a manner that does not require the poweredcomponents of the new system 12, which components do not include theapparatuses 10 (i.e., they are not powered), to be connected to anexternal electrical grid or to require the use of fossil fuels and/orother non-renewable sources of energy.

For purposes of describing the features of the present invention, theterm “atmosphere” is utilized to refer to the air at, near or around theapparatus 10 or the plurality of apparatuses 10. As will be readilyunderstood by persons who are skilled in the art, the atmosphere whichprovides the moisture-laden air 14 may be the natural environmentalatmospheric air which exists outdoors and which may be allowed to flowinto a building/structure 32 through fans, cooling systems and the likeor it may be air that exists entirely inside a building/structure 32,typically through recycling systems or the like, that is comprisesnatural atmospheric air which has been enhanced or not, including butwithout limitation being artificially humidified, to provide themoisture-laden air 14 necessary for operation of the apparatus 10 andsystem 12 of the present invention.

As stated above, the various condensation panels 18 are supported by theframe 20 so as to position each of the condensation surfaces 28/30 ofany condensation panel 18 in spaced apart relation to the condensationsurfaces 28/30 of an adjacent condensation panel 18 or other surface soas to define an air gap 43 between condensation panels 18. Preferably,the frame 10 also supports the condensation panels 18 in spaced apartrelation above the floor 34 and below the roof or ceiling (not shown) inorder to further facilitate contact by the moisture-laden air 14 and theoutflow of dried air 38. The frame 20 comprises a plurality of framemembers 44, which may include cross-members 46, that are structured andarranged to support the condensation panels 18 in a manner which allowsand facilitates contact by the moisture-laden air 14 and the movementaway by the dried air 38. More specifically, the frame members 44 areattached to or integral with each other in a substantially open mannerwhich results in most or, preferably all, of the sides of the frame 20being open spaces that will not block, or at least block as little aspossible, any movement and subsequent contact by the moisture-laden air14 against the condensation surfaces 28/30 the condensation panels 18and the exiting of dried air 38 away from of the condensation panels 18that comprise the apparatus 10. The frame members 44 of frame 20 definea front side 48, back side 50, first or left side 52, second or rightside 54, a top side 56 and bottom side 58 of apparatus 10, as best shownin FIGS. 1, 11 and 13. In the embodiment that is shown in the figures,one or more frame cross-members 46 are at each of the first/left side 52and second/right side 54 (not shown) and the bottom side 58 is supportedabove the floor 34 by legs 60 so condensate 17 from water vapor 16 ofthe moisture-laden air 14 will drain as produced fresh water 22 from thelower end 42 of the apparatus 10 onto the floor 34. In someconfigurations, the one or more of the cross-members 46 or legs 60 maynot be required. As set forth above, each of the sides of the frame 20(namely front side 48, back side 50, first/left side 52, second/rightside 54, top side 56 and bottom side 58) are primarily open spaces toallow moisture-laden air 14 to flow against or otherwise contact thecondensation surfaces 28/30 of the condensation panels 18 and to allowthe dried air 38 to move away from the condensation panels 18.

As will be readily appreciated by persons who are skilled in the art, incertain configurations of the new apparatus 10 and system 12, it may notbe necessary (or in some instances, even preferred) to have theapparatuses 10 and certain other components of the system 12 inside abuilding or other structure 32 due, in part, to cost and/or certainenvironmental circumstances. However, for a typical configuration it islikely to be preferred that at least the apparatuses 10 and the flowlines and related components that connect to the apparatuses 10, areinside a building/structure 32. For instance, being inside abuilding/structure 32 is likely to benefit the working life of at leastthe condensation panels 18 of the apparatuses 10 by protecting them fromUV radiation, dirt, hail and other weather and/or environmental issues.In addition, as set forth in more detail below, placing the apparatuses10 inside a building/structure 32 will allow the user or operator of thenew system 12 the ability to create and control the atmosphere to whichthe apparatuses 10 are exposed. More specifically, being inside abuilding/structure 32 will allow the user/operator to create a morehumid environment around the apparatuses 10 and, therefore, increase theamount of moisture-laden air 14 that contacts the condensations surfaces28/30 of the condensation panels 18. In one configuration, thebuilding/structure 32 can be a relatively simple metal building that issized and configured to hold the desired number of apparatuses 10 andany other components of the system 12 that can be benefit from beinginside the building/structure 32. In one configuration, all or a portionof the floor 34 of the building/structure 32 is made out of concrete,stainless steel or other non-porous material to be the water collectingsurface 24 that directs the produced fresh water 22 to collection areas26 that are configured as channels 36 at or near the interior walls ofthe building/structure 32, as shown in FIG. 12. The channels 36 can beconfigured to direct the produced fresh water 22 to one or more of apipeline, canal, reservoir or other location for further distribution towhere the produced fresh water 22 can be utilized for personal,agricultural and/or industrial uses and/or to recharge a groundwaterbasin.

As set forth above, each of the condensation panels 18 are structuredand arranged to provide at least one condensation surface, such as thefirst condensation surface 28 and the second condensation surface 30shown in the FIGS. 3-10, against which moisture-laden air 14 willcontact such that the water vapor 16 thereof will produce condensate 17that will flow or drip down the condensation surface(s) 28/30 asproduced fresh water 22. The condensation panels 18 of the apparatuses10 can have a wide variety of different sizes and configurations toaccomplish the objectives of the present invention. With regard to theexemplary condensation panels 18 shown in FIGS. 3-10, each condensationpanel 18 has a panel body 64 with an upper end 66, lower end 68, frontside 70, back side 72, a first/left side 74 (which defines the firstcondensation surface 28) and a second/left side 76 (which defines thesecond condensation surface 30). Inside the panel body 64 is a flowchannel 78 that, in the preferred embodiment, is generally positionedbetween the lower end 68 and the upper end 66 along a flow path 80 to,as set forth in more detail below, is sized and configured to allow acooled fluid 82 to flow through the entire, or nearly the entire, panelbody 64 inside the flow channel 78 so as to cool or chill, principally,the condensation surfaces 28/30 of the condensation panels 18. The flowpath 80 is the path or direction of the flow channel 78 inside the panelbody 64 along which the cooled fluid 82 will flow during operation ofthe apparatus 10 and system 12. As best shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8, apreferred configuration for the flow path 80 of flow channel 78 is aback-and-forth or switchback type of path that will allow the cooledfluid 82 to cool/chill substantially the entire condensation surfaces28/30. As will be readily appreciated by persons skilled in the art, theflow path 80 of the flow channel 78 is also likely to cool/chill the topsurface 84 at the upper end 66, the bottom surface 86 at the lower end68, the front surface 88 at the front end 70 and the back surface 90 atthe back end 72. A result of this cooling/chilling effect, thesesurfaces 84/86/88/90 are likely to also function as condensationsurfaces on which water vapor 16 is likely to collect as condensate 17.However, the contribution to the total amount of produced fresh water 22which is produced by the apparatus 10 by these other, non-side surfaces84/86/88/90 in the configuration of the condensation panels 18 shown inthe figures is likely to be relatively minor compared to the primarycondensation surfaces 28/30 on, respectively, the first/left side 74 andthe second/right side 76 of the condensation panels 18 due to thesignificantly greater available surface area 92 provided by of thecondensation surfaces 28/30. As set forth in more detail below, andwhich is readily understood by persons who are skilled in the relevantart, the amount of available surface area 92 to produce fresh water 22will depend on the size and configuration of the panel body 64 at thecondensation surfaces 28/30.

For purposes of describing the use and relative location of the variouscomponents of the present invention, the terms “upward”, “upwardly”,“upper”, “top” and the like refer to a location that is at or toward theupper end 40 of apparatus 10 shown in FIGS. 1, 11 and 13 and the upperend 66 of the panel body 64 of the condensation panels shown in FIGS.3-11 and, likewise, the terms “downward”, “downwardly”, “lower”,“bottom” and the like refer to a location that is at or toward the lowerend 42 of the apparatus 10 relative to the floor 34 and the lower end 68of the panel body 64 shown in the figures referenced above.

The panel body 64 of the condensation panels 18 can be made out of awide variety of different materials. Preferably, the materials selectedfor the panel body 64 is of the type that will allow the flow channel 78to be easily and relatively inexpensively formed inside the panel body64 in the desire flow path 80. In addition, the material selected forthe panel body 64 must be able to efficiently facilitate transferringthe lower temperature of the cooled fluid 82 to the surfaces, primarilythe first 28 and second 30 condensation surfaces, of the panel body 64so the water vapor 16 from the moisture-laden air 14 will produce thecondensate 17 that results in the produced fresh water 22 as a result ofthe moisture-laden air 14 contacting the condensation surfaces 28/30.Preferably, the material selected for the panel body 64 most be chosenso as to at least not substantially chemically interact with the cooledfluid 82. Although the flow channel 78 can be cut into the panel body 64after the panel body 64 is formed, in the preferred embodiments, thematerial for the panel body 64 is selected so the flow channel 78 can beintegrally formed with the formation of the panel body 64 or formed bycombining two halves of a condensation panel 18 together. In addition,the preferred material for the panel body 64 should be of the non-toxic,food grade type that is likely to at least reduce, if not eliminate,contaminating the condensate 17 and, therefore, the produced fresh water22 therefrom, as the condensate 17 flows downward along the condensationsurfaces 28/30 to the water collecting surface 24. In a preferredconfiguration the material should be relatively inexpensive to purchaseand to form into the panel body 64. In addition, the material selectedfor the panel body 64 has to be able to be suitably formed or altered tobe beneficially supported by the frame 20 in a manner which allow themoisture-laden air 14 to contact the condensation surfaces 28/30 and thedried air 38 to flow or otherwise move away from these surfaces 28/30.Although a variety of materials can provide or achieve most of thedesired attributes, a preferred material for the panel body 64 of thecondensation panels 18 is polyethylene and like plastics. In addition tothe above characteristics, such materials are relatively lightweight,which will make the condensation panels 18 easier to handle and easierto have multiple condensation panels 18 supported by a relatively simpleand inexpensive frame 20. The polyethylene panel body 64 of thesecondensation panels 18 can be blow molded or thermoformed with the flowchannels 78 configured in the desired flow path 80. Although othermaterials, such as stainless steel, copper alloys, ceramics and the likecan reduce the likelihood of contaminating the condensate 17 and theproduced fresh water 22, these materials may be much more expensive,heavier and difficult to form with the flow channels 78 therethrough inthe desired flow path 80.

In the preferred embodiments of the condensation panel 18 of the presentinvention, the flow channel 78 is formed from the same material of whichthe panel body 64 is formed such that the flow channel 78 is integralwith the panel body 64. In alternative embodiments, the flow channel 78can be defined by a pipe, tube or the like that moves through theinterior of the panel body 64 to create the desired flow path 80.However, this latter configuration is not likely to be preferred due tothe lower amount of heat transfer of temperature of the cooled fluid 82as a result of the body of the pipe, tube or the like defining the flowchannel inside the panel body. As such, it is highly desirable that theflow channel 78 be formed from the same material as the panel body 64 sothe condensation surfaces 28/30 are most cooled by the cooled fluid28/30.

As set forth above, in the preferred configurations of the apparatus 10and system 12 of the present invention, the condensation panels 18 aresupported by the frame 20 in by a panel support mechanism 94 that isconfigured to expose as much as possible of the condensation surfaces28/30 of the condensation panels 18 to the moisture-laden air 14 so thewater vapor 16 therefrom will form condensate 17 on the condensationsurfaces 28/30 and produce the desired fresh water 22. As will bereadily appreciated by persons who are skilled in the relevant arts,there are a wide variety of different types of panel support mechanisms94 and configurations of panel support mechanisms 94 that can beutilized to position the condensation panels 18 in the frame 20 so thatthe condensation surfaces 28/30 of each of the condensation panels 18are placed in spaced apart relation to each other to create the air gap43 that facilitates contact by the moisture-laden air 14 with thecondensation surfaces 28/30. In one embodiment, the panel supportmechanism 94 comprises the condensation panels 18 being cooperativelyconfigured with one or more panel support members 96 that are attachedto or integral with the frame 20 so as to hang the condensation panels18 from the panel support members 96, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Inthe embodiments shown in these figures the panel support members 96 aregenerally horizontally positioned elongated, rigid support posts 98 thatextend across or substantially across the frame 20 between thefirst/left side 52 and second/right side 54 of the apparatus 10 so as tohangedly support the condensation panels 18. In this embodiment, theelongated support posts 98 are sized and configured to extend throughcooperatively configured support apertures 100 provided in the panelbody 64 of the condensation panels 18, as best shown in FIGS. 3-10. Inthe embodiment shown in the figures, the support posts 98 have a roundcross-section and the support apertures 100 are circular. However, awide variety of other shapes, whether the same or not, can be utilizedfor either or both of the support posts 98 and support apertures 100(i.e., one being square the other being round or the like). The supportapertures 100 can be nearly anywhere in the panel body 64. In theembodiments of the condensation panel 18 shown in FIGS. 2-5, the supportapertures 100 are positioned in support tabs 102 that are attached to orintegrally formed with the panel body 64 at the upper end 66 thereof, asbest shown in FIG. 5. In the embodiments of the condensation panelsshown in FIGS. 6-10, the support apertures 100 are positioned throughthe panel body 64 just below the upper end 66 thereof. As will bereadily appreciated by persons skilled in the art, the support apertures100 can be positioned, in addition or instead, at or near the center orlower end 68 of the panel body 64. In addition, as will also be readilyappreciated by persons skilled in the art, the panel support mechanism94 can comprise panel support members 96 that are non-rigid, includingwires, ropes, cables and the like, that extend across the frame 20 andthrough the support apertures 100 of the condensation panels 18. Inother embodiments, the panel support members 96 can be hooks, hangers orthe like.

The condensation panels 18 can be made in a wide variety of sizes andshapes. In one example, the panel body 64 is rectangular shaped is sizedso as to be approximately eight feet wide, six feet high and two inchesthick. In this configuration and with the panel body 64 made out of apolyethylene material, the inventor has been able to produce one-halfgallon of water per panel per day. As will be readily appreciated bypersons skilled in the art, however, this dimension is provided only forexemplary purposes, as the panel body 64 of the condensation panels 64can be square, round, triangular, oval or any other of a wide variety ofshapes and be sized so as to be much smaller than the above example ormuch larger than the above example. Naturally, the size of thecondensation surfaces 28/30 and the number of condensation panels 18 fora particular apparatus 10 is one of several factors, including thehumidity of the moisture-laden air 14 and the temperature differencebetween the moisture-laden air 14 and the condensation surfaces 28/30,that will affect the amount of fresh water 22 that will be produced bythe apparatus 10.

In the embodiments shown in the figures, each of the condensation panels18 have an inlet 104 and an outlet 106 that are at opposite ends of theflow channel 78 through the interior of the panel body 64 that willreceive the cooled fluid 82 into the flow channel 78 and allow thecooled fluid 82 (at a reduced temperature) to exit the flow channel 78of the condensation panel 18, as best shown in FIGS. 3-20. As set forthin more detail below, the inlet 104 of the condensation panel 18connects to a source of cooled fluid 108 by an inlet line 110, such as ahose or pipe, that delivers the cooled fluid 82 to the condensationpanel 18 and a discharge line 112, such as a hose or pipe, that connectsto the outlet 106 to take the reduced temperature cooled fluid 82 backto the source of cooled fluid 82 for re-cooling, thereby creating aclosed-loop cooling system 114 that continually reuses the cooled fluid82. The inlet 104 and outlet 106 are components of the new apparatus 10and the cooled fluid 82, source of cooled fluid 108, a plurality ofinlet lines 110 and a plurality of discharge lines 112 (as well as oneor more apparatuses 10) are components of the new system 12.

In a preferred configuration of the system 12 of the present invention,best shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the system 12 comprises a plurality ofapparatuses 10 and the cooled fluid 82, source of cooled fluid 108,inlet lines 110 and discharge lines 112 described above. In addition,the new system 12 comprises one or more fluid pumps 116 to move thecooled fluid 82 from the source of cooled fluid 108 to the condensationpanels 18 through the inlet lines 110, through the condensation panels18 and through the discharge lines 112 from the condensation panels 18back to the source of cooled fluid 108, one or more fans 118 to move themoisture-laden air 14 and dried air 38 inside the building or structure32, and a source of power 120 to provide power, typically electricalpower, to the source of cooled fluid 108, pumps 116 and fans 118.

The cooled fluid 82 should be selected to be able to be cooled to asufficiently low temperature at the source of cooled fluid 108 so thatit can be circulated through the closed-loop cooling system 114 and theflow channel 78 of the condensation panels 18 to cool the condensationsurfaces 28/30 of the various apparatuses 10 that make up the system 12to produce the desired amount of fresh water 22. As will be readilyappreciated by persons who are skilled in the art, a wide variety ofliquids or gases can be utilized as for cooled fluid 82 of the system12. In one embodiment, the cooled fluid 108 is a liquid such as acombination of water and food grade ethylene glycol, propylene glycol orthe like that can be cooled to twenty degrees Fahrenheit or anothertemperature so as to be sufficiently below (i.e., ten degrees) the dewpoint to allow condensate 17 to form on the condensation surfaces 28/30from the water vapor 16 in the moisture-laden air 14. One advantage ofthese liquids is that they are known to be generally not toxic, easilyable to get cold enough to accomplish the objectives of the presentinvention and are not likely to freeze in normal usage for the presentsystem 12. In addition, the technology to cool the cooled fluid 82 tothe temperature necessary to achieve the condensation benefits for theapparatus 10, namely forming condensate 17 from the water vapor 16 ofthe moisture-laden air 14, is generally easy to achieve with readilyavailable chilling equipment and able to interact with readily availableflow lines (whether hoses or pipes) without any significantmodifications.

To cool and re-cool the cooled fluid 82 to the temperature necessary forthe system 12 to accomplish the desired objectives, the source of cooledfluid 108 comprises one or more chilling mechanisms 122 that areconfigured to cool the cooled fluid 82 initially and to re-cool thecooled fluid 82 from the discharge lines 112 after it has warmed up fromthe heat transfer effects of passing through the flow channel 78 insidethe panel body 64 and the condensation surfaces 28/30 interact with themoisture-laden air 14. In one embodiment, the chilling mechanism 122comprises one or more outdoor central chillers that have eitherair-cooled scroll or rotary screw compressors. These devices, the useand configuration of which are well known to persons skilled in therelevant art, are designed to be used outdoors and are relatively easyto install, operate and maintain. If desired, as shown in FIG. 12, theone or more chilling mechanisms 122 can be placed inside thebuilding/structure 32 that houses the various apparatuses 10 of the newsystem 12 so the discharge air from the chilling mechanisms 122 can beutilized as part of the moisture-laden air 14 inside thebuilding/structure 32 which is circulated by the fans 118 to makecontact with the condensation surfaces 28/30 of the various condensationpanels 12 of the apparatuses 10 that make up the system 12. As set forthabove, chilling mechanism(s) 122 are connected to the source of power120.

As stated above, the closed-loop cooling system 114 of the system 12 ofthe present invention comprises one or more pumps 116 that areconfigured to move the cooling fluid 12 to, through and from thecondensation panels 18 to cool the condensation surfaces 28/30 toproduce the condensate 17 and, as a result, the fresh water 22. In theembodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the system 12 utilizes two pumps116, a first or condenser pump 116 a that pushes the cooled liquid 82from the chilling mechanism(s) 122 (i.e., the source of cooled fluid108) to each of the condensation panels 18 of the apparatuses 10 and asecond or evaporator pump 116 b that pulls the cooled liquid 82 from thecondensation panels 18 back to the chilling mechanism(s) 122. In oneconfiguration, the cooled fluid 82 is pumped through the inlet lines 110and discharge lines 112 at a pressure of approximately twenty psi. Incertain embodiments, one or more of the pumps 116 a/116 b can beattached to or made integral with the chilling mechanism 122. If not,the pumps 116 a/116 b are also connected to the source of power 120.

As set forth above, either or both of the inlet lines 110 and dischargelines 112 can be hoses, pipes or the like that connect the source ofcooled fluid 108 to the condensation panels 18 of the apparatuses 10. Inthe configuration shown in the drawings, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2,each condensation panel 18 receives a cooled fluid 82 at its inlet 104directly from the main inlet line 110 via a relatively short inletconnecting line 124, as opposed to receiving cooling fluid 82 after thecooling fluid 82 has passed through an adjacent condensation panel 18.As also shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a short outlet connecting line 126connects the outlet 106 of each condensation panel 18 to the dischargeline 112. Although the inlet 104 and the outlet 106 can be locatedanywhere on the panel body 64 of the condensation panel 18, the presentinventor has found that placing the inlet 104 to the flow channel 78near the lower end 68 of the panel body 64 and the outlet 106 from theflow channel 78 near the upper end 66 of the panel body 64 is better atgetting air out of the flow channel 78, which air would otherwise reducethe cooling effectiveness of the cooling fluid 82 cooling thecondensation surfaces 28/30.

The fans 118, which are connected to the source of power 120, areutilized to move the moisture-laden air 14 and the dried air 38 aroundthe various apparatuses 10 of the system 12. More specifically, the fans118 are utilized to move the moisture-laden air 14 in thebuilding/structure 32 so that the moisture-laden air 14 will constantlyin movement to contact against the condensation surfaces 28/30 of thecondensation panels 18 and will move dried air 38 away from thecondensation surfaces 28/30 of the condensation panels 18. If desired,the building/structure can be provided with a venting system (not shown)that vents or otherwise directs the dried air 38 away from thecondensation panels 18 and out of the building/structure 32 to theatmosphere or to a humidifying mechanism that will add humidity to thedried air 38 to recondition the dried air 38 back into the neededmoisture-laden air 14.

The source of power 120 can be a wide variety of different types ofdevices and mechanisms which supply power to operate the source ofcooled fluid 108 (including the chilling mechanisms 122), pumps 116,fans 118 and any other components of the system 12 which require power.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the source of power 120 is anelectrical panel 128 that is connected to a source of electricity 130.In one embodiment, the source of electricity 130 can be the standardelectrical power source (i.e., electrical grid) provided by a utilitycompany or the like. In a preferred embodiment, however, the source ofelectricity 130 comprises one or more on-site renewable energy systems,such as a solar power system comprising a plurality of solar panels, awind power system having one or more wind turbines, a geothermal powersource or the like.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-5, the condensation panels 18 aremade out of a blend of polyethylene with an integration ofnanotechnology that has smooth, generally planar condensation surfaces28/30 to allow the condensate 17 to easily flow off of the condensationpanels 18 as produced fresh water 22. In this embodiment, the surfacearea 92 of the condensation surfaces 28/30 which is available forcontact with the moisture-laden air 14 to condense the water vapor 16thereof into condensate 17 is purely determined by the effective outerdimensions of the condensation surfaces 28/30. In other embodiments,such as those shown in FIGS. 6-10, the condensation surfaces 28/30 arealtered to increase the amount of surface area 92 for contact with themoisture-laden air 14 so as to increase the amount of water vapor 16which is turned into condensate 17 and, as a result, fresh water 22.

The embodiment of the condensation panels 18 shown in FIGS. 6-10 areshown with the panel body 64 having one or more shaped surfaces 132 thatincrease the surface area 92 which will contact the moisture-laden air14 relative to the planar or generally planar configuration of thecondensation panels 18 shown in FIGS. 1-5. The shaped surfaces 132 ofthe panel body 64 can be any of a wide variety of shapes and combinationof shapes that increase the surface area 92 of, in particular, one orboth of the condensation surfaces 28/30 of the condensation panels 18.In FIGS. 6-7, the shaped surfaces 132 of the condensation surfaces 28/30of the panel body 64 of condensation panels 18 each comprise a pluralityof outwardly extending members 134 that have a generally triangle orpyramid shape which extends outwardly from the centerline 136 of thepanel body 64 extending between the upper end 66 and the lower end 68 ofthe panel body 64, as best shown in FIG. 7 (also shown in FIGS. 9 and10). As will be readily appreciated by persons who are skilled in theart, the outwardly extending members 134 provide a significant increasein the surface area 92 of the condensation surfaces 28/30. The increasedsurface area 92 will increase the amount of surface area 92 which iscooled by the cooled fluid 82, which increases the amount ofcondensation surface 28/30 that will be contacted by the moisture-ladenair 14 for the water vapor 16 thereof to condense on and form condensate17 that will drip or flow downward to collect as produced fresh water22, as described above and best shown in FIGS. 1 and 14. FIGS. 8-9 showcondensation panels 18 having the condensation surfaces 28/30 withshaped surfaces 132 that comprise a plurality of inwardly disposedconcave areas 138 that also provide increased surface area 92 forcontact with the moisture-laden air 14 to facilitate an increase in theproduction of condensate 17 from the water vapor 16 in themoisture-laden air 14 to increase the product of produced fresh water22. In this configuration. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the shapedsurfaces 132 of the condensation surfaces 28/30 of the condensationpanels comprise a plurality of generally cone-shaped outwardly extendingmembers 134. In FIGS. 6-7, the outwardly extend members 134 aregenerally arranged to be linearly disposed in parallel adjacent rows 140across the condensation surfaces 28/30. As shown with regard to theembodiment of FIGS. 8-10, however, it is not necessary to for thevarious elements of the shaped surfaces 132 (such as the concave areas138 of FIGS. 8-9 or the cone-shaped outwardly extending members 134 ofFIG. 10) to be linearly disposed across the condensation surfaces 28/30.In the embodiments of FIGS. 8-10, the shaped surfaces 132 comprisealternating rows, such as first alternating row 142 and secondalternating row 144 that are configured with the alternating rows142/144 in an offset relation to each other. As will be readilyappreciated by persons who are skilled in the art, a wide variety ofdifferent shapes and different configurations of the rows 140 andalternating rows 142/144 can be utilized with the apparatus 10 andsystem 12 of the present invention to provide the benefits of anincrease in surface area 92 as a result of a shaped surface 132 for thecondensation panels 128/130 or any other area of the panel body 64 ofthe condensation panels 18. Specifically, the shapes can be differentthan the triangular/pyramid shaped or cone-shaped outwardly extendingmembers 134 and different than the concave areas 138 shown in FIGS. 6-10to provide more or less surface area 92 which will be contacted by themoisture-laden air 14.

FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of two apparatuses, shown as firstapparatus 10 a and second apparatus 10 b, that are positioned adjacenteach other in spaced apart relation and joined at the frames 20 by aplurality of connecting support members 146 that connect a frame member44 of the first apparatus 10 a to a frame member 44 of the secondapparatus 10 b. One benefit of connecting adjacent apparatuses 10 a/10 bare the likely improved structural support for the apparatuses 10 a/10 bas opposed to a single apparatus 10 standing alone. As will be readilyappreciated by persons who are skilled in the art, a variety ofdifferent configurations of two or more adjacent apparatuses 10 can beutilized with system 12 and a variety of different types andconfigurations for the connecting support members 146 utilized toconnect adjacent apparatuses 10 a/10 b.

FIG. 12 is a top view of a possible floor plan or layout of the system12 in the building/structure 32. The figure shows use of a plurality ofapparatuses 10 on the floor 32 of the building and several channels 36that will collect the fresh water 22 that is produced from the pluralityof apparatuses 10 as a result of the moisture-laden air 14 contactingthe condensation surfaces 28/30 of the various condensation panels 18 ofeach apparatus 10, which condensation panels 18 are supported in spacedapart relation to each other by frame 20 to form the air gap 43 (asdescribed above). FIG. 12 also shows a plurality of chilling mechanisms122, as the source of cooled liquid 108, pumps 116, fans 118 andelectrical panel 128 that connects to a source of power 120, which is asource of electricity 130 (such as the standard electrical grid, aplurality of solar panels and/or other sources). The inlet line 110 anddischarge line 112 are shown connecting the chilling mechanisms 122 toapparatuses 10, creating the closed-loop cooling system 114.

FIG. 13 is a side view of three adjacent apparatuses, shown as firstapparatus 10 a, second apparatus 10 b and third apparatus 10 c, that arepositioned in spaced apart relation to the floor 32 by legs 60. Theapparatuses 10 a/10 b/10 c have a common water collecting surface 24that collects and directs the fresh water 22 produced by the apparatuses10 a/10 b/10 c to a pair of channel members 148 that act as thecollection areas 26 to direct the fresh water 22 to another location,such as a piping system, canal, collecting basin or pond, field, orchardor other area for storing and/or using the fresh water. In thisconfiguration, the floor 32 is not used as the water collecting surface24. As will be readily appreciated by persons who are skilled in theart, a wide variety of different configurations can be utilized for asystem 12 having channel members 148 for one or more apparatuses 10 todirect the fresh water 22 produced by the one or more apparatuses 10 towhere the fresh water 22 can be stored or beneficially utilized.

FIG. 14 shows a block diagram of one configuration of the system 12 ofthe present invention. The system 12 comprises one or more apparatuses10, a source of cooled fluid 108 that supplies cooled fluid 82,moisture-laden air 14 that interacts with the apparatuses 10 to producefresh water 22, one or more inlet lines 110 through which the cooledliquid 82 flows to the apparatuses 10, one or more discharge lines 112that carry the formerly cooled fluid 82 back to the source of cooledfluid 108 to be re-cooled, one or more pumps 116 that move the cooledfluid through the inlet lines 110, discharge lines 112 and apparatuses10, one or more fans 118 that move the moisture-laden air 14 around theapparatuses 10 and dried air 38 away from the apparatuses 10, a sourceof power which is utilized by the source of cooled fluid 108, pumps 116and fans 118 to accomplish the objectives of these components, at leastone water collecting surface 24 which collects the fresh water 22produced by the apparatuses 10 and one or more collection areas 26 towhich the collected fresh water 22 is directed by the water collectingsurfaces 24 so that the fresh water 22 can be stored or used. As setforth above, each of the apparatuses 10 have condensation panels 18 withone or more condensation surfaces 28/30 that interact withmoisture-laden air 14 such that the water vapor 16 thereof will form ascondensate 17 on the condensation surfaces 28/30 and drip or flowdownward to the water collection surfaces 24. The source of cooled fluid108 can comprise one or more chilling mechanisms 122 that chill thecooled fluid 82 to a sufficient temperature (such as twenty degreesFahrenheit) to enable the water vapor 16 in the moisture-laden air 14 toform condensate 17 on the condensation surfaces 28/30 of thecondensation panels 18 of each of the apparatuses 10 in the system 12.In one configuration, part or all of the components of system 12 are ina building or other structure 32 that is suitably sized and configuredto enclose these components. In one configuration, thebuilding/structure 12 is a metal building that can have a plurality ofsolar panels thereon to function as a source of electricity 130 for thesource of power 120 that is utilized by the powered components of thesystem 12. If desired, or deemed necessary, the system 12 can alsoinclude one or more humidifying mechanisms that would be structured andarranged to add humidity to the improve the amount of water vapor 16 inthe moisture-laden air 14 to increase the amount of fresh water 22produced by the apparatuses 10. Typically, any such humidifyingmechanisms would connect to the same source of power 120 that providespower to the other powered components of the system 12.

As set forth above, the condensation panels 18 have a flow channel 78that follows a flow path 80 inside the panel body 64 to move cooledfluid 82 throughout the interior of the panel body 64 so as to createcondensation surfaces 28/30 that will interact with the moisture-ladenair 14 to produce condensate 17 from the water vapor 16 of the air 14that will drip or flow downward as fresh water 11. As will be readilyappreciated by persons who are skilled in the art, the flow channel 78and flow paths 80 are engineered so as to be sized and configured toaccomplish the desired objectives of providing cooled condensationsurfaces 28/30, whether the condensation surfaces 28/30 are planar areshaped surfaces 132 having outwardly extending members 134 and/orconcave areas 138. The inlet line 110 that delivers cooled fluid 82 fromthe source of cooled fluid 108 connects to an inlet connecting line 124that connects to the inlet 104, which may be a female threaded NPT ½″connection or the like, to direct the cooled fluid 82 into the flowchannel 78. The cooled fluid 82 flows through the flow channel 78 alongthe flow path 80 to the outlet 106, which may also be a female threadedNPT ½″ connection or the like, where it connects to an outlet connectingline 126 that directs the cooled fluid 82 (which has warmed up) to thedischarge line 112 that directs this warmed-up cooled fluid 82 to thechilling mechanisms 122 or other source of cooled fluid 108 thatre-cools the cooled fluid 82 to the desired lower temperature to producethe condensate 17 on the condensation surfaces 28/30 of the condensationpanels 18 of the apparatuses 10. Pumps 116, such as the first/condenserpump 116 a and the second/evaporator pump 116 b, pressurize the flowlines 110/112 to move the cooled fluid 82 to, through and from each ofthe apparatuses 10 of the system 12. The fans 118 move themoisture-laden air 14 to facilitate contact with the condensation panels18 and move the dried air 38 away from the apparatuses 10 after watervapor 16 has been removed (by condensation) from the moisture-laden air14 after contact with the condensation panels 18. To facilitate the heattransfer between the moisture-laden air 14 and the condensation surfaces28/30 of the condensation panels 18, each of the condensation panels 18are supported in spaced apart relation to each other inside the frame 20of the apparatus 10 to form the air gap 43 that facilitates themoisture-laden air 14 contacting each of the condensation surfaces28/30. The condensation panels 18 are supported by a panel supportmechanism 94 associated with the frame 20. The panel support mechanism94 can be one or more panel support members 96, such as the stiffelongated support posts 98 shown in the figures, or they can be wires,hooks, hangers or the like that appropriately support the condensationpanels 18 in spaced apart relation to each other so the moisture-ladenair 14 can interact with the condensation surfaces 28/30 of thecondensation panels 18 to produce the condensate 17 from the water vapor16 in the moisture-laden air 14 that produces the fresh water 22.

While there are shown and described herein specific forms of theinvention, it will be readily apparent to those persons who are skilledin the art that the invention is not so limited, but is susceptible tovarious modifications and rearrangements in design and materials withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, itshould be noted that the present invention is subject to modificationwith regard to any dimensional relationships set forth herein andmodifications in assembly, materials, size, shape and use. For instance,there may be numerous components of the embodiments described hereinthat can be readily replaced with equivalent functioning components toaccomplish the objectives and obtain the desired aspects of the presentinvention. The various embodiments set forth herein are intended toexplain the best mode of making and using the present invention ascurrently known to and appreciated by the present inventor and to enableother persons who are skilled in the relevant art to make and utilizethe present invention. Although, the described embodiments may comprisedifferent features, not all of these features are required in allembodiments of the present invention. More specifically, as will bereadily appreciated by persons who are skilled in the art, certainembodiments of the present invention only utilize some of the featuresand/or combinations of features that are disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An atmospheric water generating apparatus toproduce fresh water from moisture-laden air, said apparatus comprising:a frame having a plurality of frame members defining an upper end and alower end of said apparatus; a plurality of condensation panelssupported by said frame, each of said condensation panels having a panelbody with an upper end and a lower end; at least one condensationsurface associated with each of said condensation panels, saidcondensation surface of each of said plurality of condensation panelsbeing in spaced apart relation to said condensation surface of each ofthe condensation surfaces of other of said plurality of condensationpanels, each of said condensation surfaces being structured and arrangedwith a surface area thereof that will contact the moisture-laden airwhen said condensation panel is exposed to the moisture-laden air; apanel support mechanism associated with said frame, said panel supportmechanism being structured and arranged to support each of saidplurality of condensation panels in or on said frame, said panel supportmechanism having one or more panel support members that are structuredand arranged to position each of said condensation panels incorresponding relation to said frame with said upper end of each of saidcondensation panels directed toward said upper end of said apparatus andsaid lower end of each of said condensation panels directed toward saidlower end of said apparatus, each of said one or more panel supportmembers having a support post connected to said frame, said support postcooperatively sized and configured with a support aperture in said panelbody of said condensation panel so as to allow said support post to passthrough said support aperture and support said condensation panel in oron said frame; and a flow channel disposed in said panel body of each ofsaid condensation panels so as to define a flow path through said panelbody between an inlet and an outlet of said condensation panel, saidinlet connected to a source of cooled fluid, said flow channel beingsized and configured to allow a cooled fluid from the source of cooledfluid to flow through said flow channel from said inlet to said outletof said condensation panel, said outlet connected to the source ofcooled fluid to direct the cooled fluid thereto, wherein said flow paththrough each of said condensation panels is selected so the cooled fluidwill cool said condensation surface of each of said condensation panelswhen the cooled fluid is flowing through said flow channel to producecondensate on said condensation surface when said condensation surfaceis in contact with the moisture-laden air, each of said condensationpanels configured for the condensate to flow downward to said lower endof said condensation panel and toward said lower end of said apparatusto collect as the fresh water on a water collecting surface that isassociated with said apparatus.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinsaid support aperture is positioned in a support tab that is attached toor integral with said upper end of said panel body so as to suspend saidpanel body downward from said support post.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein said condensation surface of each of said condensation panelshas a shaped surface, said shaped surface configured to increase saidsurface area of said condensation surface so as to increase thecondensate on said condensation surface and the fresh water producedthereby.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said shaped surfacecomprises a plurality of outwardly extending members and/or a pluralityof concave areas, each of said outwardly extending members and/or saidconcave areas being sized and configured to increase said surface areaof said condensation surface.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a channel member associated with said frame, said watercollecting surface associated with said frame so as to direct the freshwater from said plurality of condensation panels to said channel member.6. An atmospheric water generating apparatus to produce fresh water frommoisture-laden air, said apparatus comprising: a frame having aplurality of frame members defining an upper end and a lower end of saidapparatus; at least one panel support mechanism associated with saidframe; a plurality of condensation panels supported by said panelsupport mechanism so as to dispose each of said condensation panels onor in said frame, each of said condensation panels having a panel bodywith an upper end, a lower end, a front side, a back side, a first sideand a second side; a condensation surface associated with each of saidfirst side and said second side of said condensation panel, each of saidcondensation surfaces being structured and arranged with a surface areathat will contact the moisture-laden air when said condensation panel isexposed to the moisture-laden air; and a flow channel in said panel bodyof each of said condensation panels that defines a flow path throughsaid panel body between an inlet and an outlet of each of saidcondensation panels, each of said inlets connected to a source of cooledfluid, each of said flow channels being sized and configured to allow acooled fluid from the source of cooled fluid to flow through said flowchannel from said inlet to said outlet of said condensation panel, eachof said outlets connected to the source of cooled fluid to direct thecooled fluid thereto, wherein said flow path through each of saidcondensation panels is selected so the cooled fluid will cool each ofsaid condensation surfaces of said condensation panels when the cooledfluid is flowing through said flow channel thereof to produce condensateon each of said condensation surfaces when said condensation surfacesare in contact with the moisture-laden air, each of said condensationpanels configured for the condensate to flow downward to said lower endof said condensation panel and toward said lower end of said apparatusto collect as the fresh water on a water collecting surface that isassociated with said apparatus.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, whereinsaid panel support mechanism comprises a plurality of panel supportmembers, each of said plurality of panel support members beingstructured and arranged to position each of said condensation panels insaid frame in corresponding relation to said frame with said upper endof each of said condensation panels directed toward said upper end ofsaid apparatus and said lower end of each of said condensation panelsdirected toward said lower end of said apparatus.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein each of said one or more panel support members comprisea support post connected to said frame, said support post cooperativelysized and configured with a support aperture in said panel body of saidcondensation panel so as to allow said support post to pass through saidsupport aperture and support said condensation panel in said frame. 9.The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said support aperture is positioned ina support tab that is attached to or integral with said upper end ofsaid panel body so as to suspend said panel body downward from saidsupport post.
 10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said condensationsurfaces of each of said condensation panels have a shaped surface, saidshaped surfaces configured to increase said surface area of saidcondensation surfaces so as to increase the condensate on saidcondensation surface and the fresh water produced thereby.
 11. Anatmospheric water generating system for producing fresh water, saidsystem comprising: a moisture-laden air having water vapor associatedtherewith; a plurality of water generating apparatuses, each of saidapparatuses having a frame with a plurality of frame members that definean upper end and a lower end of said apparatus, at least one panelsupport mechanism associated with said frame, a plurality ofcondensation panels that are supported by said panel support mechanismon or in said frame, each of said condensation panels having a panelbody, a condensation surface associated with each of a first side and asecond side of said panel body, a surface area of each of saidcondensation surfaces that will contact said moisture-laden air whensaid condensation panel is exposed to said moisture-laden air, and aflow channel in said panel body of each of said condensation panels thatdefines a flow path through said panel body between an inlet and anoutlet of said condensation panel; a source of cooled fluid thatproduces a cooled fluid, said inlets of each of said condensation panelsof each of said plurality of apparatuses being connected to said sourceof cooled fluid so as to receive said cooled fluid in said flow channelsof said condensation panels; one or more pumps interconnecting saidsource of cooled fluid and each of said condensation panels so as topressurize said cooled fluid and direct said cooled fluid to and throughsaid flow channels of said condensation panels from said inlet to saidoutlet thereof, said outlets of each of said condensation panelsconnected to the source of cooled fluid to direct the cooled fluidthereto so as to define a closed-loop cooling system; one or more fansconfigured to direct said moisture-laden air to and around each of saidapparatuses and to direct dried air away from each of said apparatuses;a source of power connected to at least one of said source of cooledfluid, said one or more pumps and said one or more fans; a watercollecting surface associated with each of said apparatuses to collectthe fresh water from said apparatuses; and at least one collection area,said at least one collection area in fluid flow connection with saidwater collecting surface so as to receive the fresh water from saidwater collecting surface, wherein said flow path through each of saidcondensation panels is selected so said cooled fluid from said source ofcooled fluid will cool each of said condensation surfaces of each ofsaid condensation panels when said cooled fluid is flowing through saidflow channel thereof to produce condensate on each of said condensationsurfaces of each of said condensation panels when each of saidcondensation surfaces are in contact with said moisture-laden air, eachof said condensation panels configured for the condensate to flowdownward to a lower end of each of said condensation panels and towardsaid lower end of each of said apparatuses to collect as fresh water onsaid water collecting surface.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein saidpanel support mechanism of each of said apparatuses comprises aplurality of panel support members, each of said plurality of panelsupport members being structured and arranged to position each of saidcondensation panels in said frame in corresponding relation to saidframe with an upper end of each of said condensation panels directedtoward said upper end of said apparatus and said lower end of each ofsaid condensation panels directed toward said lower end of saidapparatus.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of said one or morepanel support members comprise a support post connected to said frame,said support post cooperatively sized and configured with a supportaperture in said panel body of said condensation panel so as to allowsaid support post to pass through said support aperture and support saidcondensation panel in said frame.
 14. The system of claim 11, whereinsaid condensation surfaces of each of said condensation panels have ashaped surface, said shaped surfaces configured to increase said surfacearea of said condensation surfaces so as to increase the condensate onsaid condensation surface and the fresh water produced thereby.
 15. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein each of said apparatuses are disposed in abuilding having a floor.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein source ofcooled fluid comprises one or more chilling mechanisms.